Myself and WeirdUncleTiki got together a couple of weeks ago at a local bar here in Honolulu.....A KAVA KAVA bar that is! We were smilin' da rest of the night.

We wanted to start a new ritual for Tiki Centralites visiting Honolulu. So if you drop by da Islands give me a ring.

Kava is a grinded root that is mixed in with water and drunken by people of the South Seas...some of the people of the islands even say the drink is TABOO. It taste like SH*T but your lips feel numb just as it touches your lips. Different groups of polynesians have there own rituals they do befor drinking this mystery drink such as hand clapping, sitting on the floor, and draining a coconut. It makes you feel VERY VERY NICE! Chefgrey2 knows alot more than I do. He says "it is illegal in the UK pending investigation" It's a safe natural drink with no liquior. They will not serve you if you have been drinking because it will make u sick. I don't know much about it I just drink it.
If you have tried it,let me know and how it made you feel? If you haven't...can't wait to break u in! hehehe
OKOLE MALUNA!!!
Gecko

I actually make a cocktail with Kava, mixing it with rums and fruit juices to mask the nasty taste. It has never made me sick, but I don't drink a lot of them or even very often. it is kind of still in the adjusting stage, too, to find just the right balance.

Kava can be ordered over the internet direct from Fiji, which is where I got mine. As far as I know it is not (yet) illegal in the US, but there are reports that mixing Kava with alcohol can have advere effects on the liver (but then, so can alcohol all by itself).

We have loads of kava bars (called Nakamals) down here in Nouméa. Kava drinking is very popular amoung the locals and visiting europeans, and it is not (for the moment) illegal. Kava root (pepper tree) is in fact a very mild narcotic which induces a happy and calm feeling and is excellent for any stress related problems. However, a cocktail of kava + booze or pot should be avoided as it can be mind blowing. Hard abuse in kava drinking will also induce weight loss as it cuts appetite or food craving, people even forget to eat. It may also give a dried "fish scale" type skin which makes one look like Spiderman. But apart from those minor side effects kava drinking is quite cool and has been, for ages, a great social bonding ritual between Pacific islanders.

All right nice to see another islander on tiki central beside myself! (atleast that i know of) Aloha Vainui from New Caledonia.
how often do you drink the Taboo? It's a fun drink. Great for a gathering for people who love to talk story. Such as us here at Tiki Central. How much does a serving go for there in Noumea? It's $4.50 here on Honolulu about the average price for a cocktail.
I love the art there on your island, very nice carvings. I like to read about primitive art styles.

TikiMel u funny! (kava moustaches)

WeirdUnc was trippin off of some lights that were behind the bar...hehehe

A "cup" coconut shell of kava in a Nakamal is usualy 100 cfp (1$US) per serving. Nakamals (often situated in very rustic settings on the outskirts of towns/villages) open at sunset and run till late at night, there you get to meet all kinds of interesting people from airline pilots, doctors and CEO's to the simple tribsman just wanting to cool it off and exchange views on the meaning of life in the Pacific isles and of native culture in general.
As for kava comsumption in general, many people here in NC buy in supermakets, a local instant Kava which dilutes "as it says" instantly in cold water, we even have kava sirop and kava bonbons which are all moderately priced and sweetened to taste good. From what I understand the guy who makes these products has a website and exports globally his kava goodies. I will check this out 4 U.

Glad to see you know something about Nouméa and its culture, because most people don't even know where it is.

Man, It's so great to see people interested in Kava...just a few tips I picked up in my experimentation...Stay away from buying whole roots...damned hard to grind...I've gone thru 2 coffee grinders and had to give up on trying to finish the pound I got that way...some sites promise all different kinds of kava...and extoll their virtues like you would see on coffee descriptions...Vanuatu is the largest producer in the world...Hawaii promised the most "organic"...but in reality this is a shrub...grows wild in the undergrowth...a member of the pepper family...anyway...when buying kava, try to find whatever promises the largest quantity/ratio of root hair fibers, as they have the highest concentration of kavalactones....the actual go-go juice...and Only use coldwater when preparing your tea...as hot water nenatures said kavalactones...'Nuff said, SUCK 'EM UP! Grey

Chronicle Staff Report
Tuesday, July 24, 2001
An Arizona man who drank 23 cups of kava tea must stand trial for driving under the influence after a panel of San Mateo County judges overturned an earlier ruling dismissing the case.

Sione Olive, 26, was arrested more than a year ago in East Palo Alto after the car he
was driving was seen weaving onto the shoulder of Highway 101. Olive apparently had consumed nearly two dozen cups of kava, a relaxing herbal drink popular in Pacific Island cultures.

In December, Superior Court Judge Marta Diaz dismissed the case after Olive's attorney argued that the prosecution's case was "unconstitutionally vague" because under state law, kava is not specifically cited as a drug.

Yesterday, Judge Quentin Kopp, writing for the three-member Superior Court panel, said that "actual notice of each drug constituting a basis for prosecution . . . is not required if a person is reasonably made aware of the proscribed conduct, namely, impaired driving ability resulting from ingestion of some substance."